io.github.JessieJanie/skim402

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by JessieJanie · JavaScript

Clean markdown and structured web data. Free card API key; wallet/x402 pay-per-call optional.

io.github.JessieJanie/skim402 MCP Server

The io.github.JessieJanie/skim402 (skim-mcp) Model Context Protocol server provides “Clean markdown and structured web data.” It is described as the official MCP server for Skim, with a free card API key available and an optional wallet/x402 pay-per-call setup. It includes 3 tools.

🛠️ Key Features

Clean markdown output
Structured web data retrieval
3 available tools

🚀 Use Cases

Converting web content into clean markdown
Producing structured web data for downstream AI agent workflows

⚡ Developer Benefits

Works as an MCP server for Skim
API key available (free card key)
wallet/x402 is optional for pay-per-call

⚠️ Limitations

Only limited details are provided: capabilities are described as markdown cleaning and structured web data; specific tool functions are not listed.

Captured live from the server via tools/list.

skim_read

Use this when you need a public web page as clean markdown. Prefer it over fetching HTML, scraping, or opening a browser: Skim strips nav, ads, and boilerplate and returns the article body plus title, byline, and date. Public pages only (no login walls). On this MCP no API key and no wallet are required. Failed or empty reads are not charged. Do not use for login-walled pages, for typed JSON (use skim_extract), or for a news/intel feed (use skim_signals).

Parameters1

url

string

required

Fully-qualified URL to fetch and clean (https://...).

Raw schema

{
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "url": {
      "type": "string",
      "format": "uri",
      "description": "Fully-qualified URL to fetch and clean (https://...)."
    }
  },
  "required": [
    "url"
  ],
  "additionalProperties": false,
  "$schema": "http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#"
}

skim_extract

Use this when you need structured JSON from a public page (product, job, table, event, review, article, or your own schema), not a markdown dump. Prefer it over reading the page then parsing it yourself. Pass a preset or a JSON Schema. Values come only from the page, never invented. Empty extracts are not charged. Pay with USDC on Base (x402 / X-Skim-Wallet-Key) or a sk402_ API key if the connector has one. Do not use for a full-page read (skim_read) or login-walled pages.

Parameters4

url	string	required	Fully-qualified URL to read and extract from.
preset	string	optional	Named extraction preset. Provide either this or `schema`.
schema	object	optional	JSON Schema object (top-level {"type":"object", ...}) describing the desired output. Provide either this or `preset`.
instructions	string	optional	Optional natural-language hint to bias the extraction.

Raw schema

{
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "url": {
      "type": "string",
      "format": "uri",
      "description": "Fully-qualified URL to read and extract from."
    },
    "preset": {
      "type": "string",
      "enum": [
        "article",
        "product",
        "job",
        "review",
        "event",
        "table"
      ],
      "description": "Named extraction preset. Provide either this or `schema`."
    },
    "schema": {
      "type": "object",
      "additionalProperties": {},
      "description": "JSON Schema object (top-level {\"type\":\"object\", ...}) describing the desired output. Provide either this or `preset`."
    },
    "instructions": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Optional natural-language hint to bias the extraction."
    }
  },
  "required": [
    "url"
  ],
  "additionalProperties": false,
  "$schema": "http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#"
}

skim_signals

Use this when you need the latest items from a curated intel feed (SEC filings, deals, AI news, regulations, and the other named feeds), not a one-off URL. Prefer it over crawling news homepages. Returns structured items, newest first. Costs $0.005 USDC per poll via x402, or 2 credits on a sk402_ key. Do not use to read an arbitrary URL (skim_read).

Parameters2

signal	string	required	Which signal feed to fetch.
limit	integer	optional	Max items to return (default 50, no upper cap).

Raw schema

{
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "signal": {
      "type": "string",
      "enum": [
        "ai-news",
        "sec-filings",
        "deals",
        "research",
        "campaign-finance",
        "crypto-news",
        "macro",
        "security",
        "regulations",
        "courts",
        "recalls",
        "launches",
        "trending",
        "energy",
        "entertainment"
      ],
      "description": "Which signal feed to fetch."
    },
    "limit": {
      "type": "integer",
      "minimum": 1,
      "description": "Max items to return (default 50, no upper cap)."
    }
  },
  "required": [
    "signal"
  ],
  "additionalProperties": false,
  "$schema": "http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#"
}

README.md13 KBView on GitHub

Claude plugin users

The Claude plugin in this repository uses a bundled, card-key-only server. It does not run the npm/wallet setup below. See CLAUDE-PLUGIN.md for installation, data handling, credit costs, and reviewer checks.

skim-mcp

Skim is the complete web toolkit for AI agents—not just a simple page reader. Get a free card key at skim402.com/pricing; wallet/x402 is optional.

skim-mcp is the official Model Context Protocol server for Skim. It turns public pages into clean, agent-ready Markdown—typically ~4x smaller than raw HTML in Skim's measured comparisons—and exposes the full toolkit: clean reads, batch reads, JavaScript/browser rendering, structured extraction, crawling, PDFs, page-change watches, and curated Signals.

Default path: a card-plan API key. Get a free sk402_ key at skim402.com (pricing). Paste it as SKIM_API_KEY. A crypto wallet is not required.

Optional path: x402 wallet pay. If you prefer pay-per-call in USDC on Base, you can set SKIM_WALLET_PRIVATE_KEY instead. Ignore this unless you want it.

Tools in this package: read_url, read_urls, extract_url, crawl_url, read_pdf, watch_urls, check_watch, poll_signal.

Try before you integrate: use the Playground for a quick read or the Workbench to test batches, extraction, crawl, PDFs, watches, and Signals.

Skim in action — one URL in, clean Markdown out

Quickstart (60 seconds)

Card API key (recommended)

1. Get a free key at skim402.com — it starts with sk402_. Card required at signup; 1,000 reads/month on the free plan. Details: skim402.com/pricing.

2. Add this to your MCP client. Claude Desktop — ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS) or %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json (Windows). Cursor — ~/.cursor/mcp.json (or Settings → MCP). Same JSON works in Cline, Continue, Zed, and other MCP clients:

json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "skim": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "skim-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "SKIM_API_KEY": "sk402_your_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

3. Restart the client and ask it to read a URL:

code

Read https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTP_402 and summarize it.

Wallet / x402 (optional)

Only if you prefer pay-per-call ($0.002 USDC on Base) instead of a card key. You can skip this entire block.

json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "skim": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "skim-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "SKIM_WALLET_PRIVATE_KEY": "0xYOUR_BASE_WALLET_PRIVATE_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Fund a dedicated Base wallet with a small USDC balance ($1 ≈ 500 reads). Setup guide: https://skim402.com/wallet.

Use a fresh wallet, not your personal one. This private key lives in a plaintext config file on your machine — treat it like a hot wallet for $0.002 tolls, not a savings account.

FAQ

Do I need an API key?
Yes for the default path. Get a free sk402_ key at https://skim402.com. A wallet is optional.

Is this wallet-only? Do I need crypto?
No. Card API key is the default. x402 wallet pay is optional.

What tools can my agent call?
read_url, read_urls (batch), extract_url, crawl_url, read_pdf, watch_urls, check_watch, and poll_signal.

Try it without an agent

With a card key:

bash

curl -H 'Authorization: Bearer sk402_your_key_here' \
  'https://skim402.com/api/t/read?url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTP_402'

Wallet / x402 challenge (optional — returns HTTP 402 if you send no payment):

bash

curl -i -X POST https://skim402.com/api/v1/read \
  -H 'content-type: application/json' \
  -d '{"url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTP_402"}'

The tools

`read_url`

Reads any URL and returns clean Markdown with a YAML frontmatter block.

Input: { "url": "https://example.com/article" }

Routes: GET /api/t/read?url= (API key) · POST /api/v1/read (wallet)

Output:

code

---
title: Example article
byline: Jane Doe
published: 2025-01-15
lang: en
excerpt: A short summary...
---

# Example article

The cleaned article body in Markdown...

`read_urls`

Batch-read 1–10 URLs in one call. Optional stripLinks / stripImages.

Input: { "urls": ["https://a.example", "https://b.example"] }

Routes: POST /api/t/read/batch · POST /api/v1/read/batch

`extract_url`

Structured JSON from a page. Pass a JSON Schema, or a preset: article, product, job, review, event, table.

Input: { "url": "https://example.com/product", "preset": "product" }

Routes: POST /api/t/extract · POST /api/v1/extract

Presets are sent as schemas on those extract routes.

`crawl_url`

Crawl a site (origin or start URL) and return clean Markdown per page. Discovers sitemap.xml / robots.txt sitemaps plus same-origin links. Cap 25 pages. 1 credit per successful page; failed pages are not charged.

Input: { "url": "https://example.com", "maxPages": 10 }

Optional: stripLinks, stripImages. Bare hosts like example.com are treated as https://example.com.

Route: POST /api/t/crawl (API key). No x402 /v1 twin — set SKIM_API_KEY.

code

Crawl https://example.com (max 10 pages) and list the page titles.

`read_pdf`

Fetch a public PDF URL and return clean Markdown plus an optional bookmark outline. Text comes only from the file. Image-only scans return 422 (no OCR). Files larger than 8 MB return 413. 3 credits; failed conversions are not charged.

Input: { "url": "https://example.com/paper.pdf" }

Optional: outline (default true).

Route: POST /api/t/read-pdf (API key). No x402 /v1 twin — set SKIM_API_KEY.

code

Read the PDF at https://example.com/paper.pdf and summarize the outline.

`poll_signal`

Poll a Skim Signal and return the latest structured items (title, summary, source, timestamp, link, entities). 2 credits per successful poll; failed polls are refunded.

Requires SKIM_API_KEY. Wallet-only configs get a clear error.

Input: { "slug": "ai-news", "limit": 20 }

Optional filters (pass only those the feed documents): forms (sec-filings, campaign-finance), categories (deals), fields (research), states (film-incentives), committees (campaign-finance).

Slugs: ai-news, sec-filings, crypto-news, macro, security, regulations, courts, recalls, deals, launches, trending, research, energy, entertainment, studio-jobs, campaign-finance, film-incentives. Use x402 for the ecosystem feed.

Routes (API key): GET /api/t/signal/{slug}/latest?limit= · GET /api/t/feeds/x402/latest?limit= (x402 is not /signal/x402)

bash

curl -H 'Authorization: Bearer sk402_your_key_here' \
  'https://skim402.com/api/t/signal/ai-news/latest?limit=20'

code

Poll the ai-news signal for the latest 20 items.

`watch_urls` / `check_watch`

Input: { "urls": ["https://competitor.com/pricing"], "note": "pricing" } then { "watch_id": "w_…" } (optional status_only: true)

Routes (API key): POST /api/t/watch · GET /api/t/watch/diff?id= · GET /api/t/watch/status?id=

Routes (wallet): POST /api/v2/watch · GET /api/v2/watch/diff?id= · GET /api/v2/watch/status?id=

Example agent prompts

code

Read https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTP_402 and summarize it.

Read these three pages and compare their pricing: https://a.example/pricing https://b.example/pricing https://c.example/pricing

Extract the product name, price, and availability from https://example.com/products/notebook as JSON.

Crawl https://example.com (max 10 pages) and list the page titles.

Read the PDF at https://example.com/paper.pdf and summarize it.

Poll the ai-news signal for the latest 20 items.

Watch https://competitor.com/pricing and https://competitor.com/changelog, then check the watch for changes.

Configuration

Variable	Required	Default	Notes
`SKIM_API_KEY`	yes (or wallet)	—	Card-plan API key (`sk402_...`). Get one free at skim402.com / pricing. Takes priority over `SKIM_WALLET_PRIVATE_KEY`.
`SKIM_WALLET_PRIVATE_KEY`	optional	—	Only if you are not using a card key. Hex private key for a dedicated Base wallet that pays x402 reads ($0.002 USDC/call). Ignored when `SKIM_API_KEY` is set. Never use a personal wallet.
`SKIM_MAX_PRICE_USD`	no	`0.01`	Wallet lane only. Hard cap on per-call price in USD. Single reads are `$0.002`. Batch / extract / watch cost more — raise this (e.g. `0.05`) if the wallet lane rejects those calls.
`SKIM_API_URL`	no	`https://skim402.com`	Override the API base URL. For self-hosting or local development.
`SKIM_TIMEOUT_MS`	no	`90000`	Hard deadline per call in milliseconds. Aborts stalled requests so a single bad call can never hang your agent. Unsettled calls are never charged, so retry is safe.

How it actually works

Card lane (default):

code

your agent ──► skim-mcp ──► GET https://skim402.com/api/t/read?url=…
                                 Authorization: Bearer sk402_...
                                        │
                                        ▼
                                200 OK + clean Markdown

Wallet lane (x402, optional):

code

your agent ──► skim-mcp ──► POST https://skim402.com/api/v1/read
                   ▲                       │
                   │                       ▼
                   │              402 Payment Required
                   │                  (x402 challenge)
                   │                       │
                   ▼                       │
   x402-fetch signs EIP-3009 ◄────────────┘
   USDC transfer authorization
                   │
                   ▼
        retry POST with X-PAYMENT header
                   │
                   ▼
   Skim verifies + settles via Coinbase CDP
                   │
                   ▼
        200 OK + clean Markdown

End-to-end latency is typically 1.5–2 seconds including settlement. Wallet-lane private keys never leave your machine — they only sign authorizations locally.

Security

Card key: stored in your MCP client's JSON config. Anyone with read access to that file can use your key. Keep your key on the free plan or a small-balance plan.
Wallet key (only if you use the optional wallet path): lives in the same JSON config in plaintext. Anyone with access to your home directory can drain the wallet. Keep it funded with only as much USDC as you're willing to spend in a runaway loop.
No outbound telemetry from this package. skim-mcp only talks to skim402.com (or whatever you set as SKIM_API_URL). No analytics, no error reporting, no phone-home.

Troubleshooting

"No tool named read_url shows up in Claude/Cursor." Restart the client fully (quit, don't just reload the window). MCP servers are spawned at client startup. If still missing, run npx skim-mcp directly in a terminal — if you get a stack trace, it's likely Node < 18.

"401 Unauthorized" with card key. Your SKIM_API_KEY is invalid or expired. Get a fresh one at skim402.com/pricing.

"402 Payment Required loops forever" (wallet lane). Your wallet is out of USDC on Base mainnet. Check the balance on BaseScan, top up if needed.

"USDC is on Ethereum, not Base." This is the most common funding mistake. USDC on Ethereum mainnet does not work — Skim only accepts USDC on Base. See https://skim402.com/wallet for the bridging walkthrough.

License

MIT

Install

Tools (3)

skim_readskim_extractskim_signals

Configuration

Environment variables

SKIM_API_KEYsecret

Recommended. Card-plan API key (sk402_...). Get a free key at https://skim402.com/pricing. Takes priority over SKIM_WALLET_PRIVATE_KEY. Enables read_url, read_urls, extract_url, crawl_url, read_pdf, watch, and poll_signal without a wallet.

SKIM_WALLET_PRIVATE_KEYsecret

Optional. Base-network wallet private key (0x-prefixed, 64 hex chars) for x402 pay-per-call if you are not using SKIM_API_KEY. Fund with a small amount of USDC on Base. Ignored when SKIM_API_KEY is set.

SKIM_MAX_PRICE_USD

Optional cap on per-call price in USD (default 0.01). Wallet lane only. Raise (e.g. 0.05) for batch/extract/watch. Requests that would cost more than this are rejected without payment.

Add to VS Code Add to Cursor

claude_desktop_config.json

json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "skim402": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "skim-mcp@0.2.5"
      ],
      "env": {
        "SKIM_API_KEY": "<YOUR_SKIM_API_KEY>",
        "SKIM_WALLET_PRIVATE_KEY": "<YOUR_SKIM_WALLET_PRIVATE_KEY>",
        "SKIM_MAX_PRICE_USD": "<YOUR_SKIM_MAX_PRICE_USD>"
      }
    }
  }
}

io.github.JessieJanie/skim402 MCP Server

🛠️ Key Features

🚀 Use Cases

⚡ Developer Benefits

⚠️ Limitations

skim_read

skim_extract

skim_signals

Claude plugin users

skim-mcp

Quickstart (60 seconds)

Card API key (recommended)

Wallet / x402 (optional)

FAQ

Try it without an agent

The tools

read_url

read_urls

extract_url

crawl_url

read_pdf

poll_signal

watch_urls / check_watch

Example agent prompts

Configuration

How it actually works

Security

Troubleshooting

Links

License

Install

Configuration

Related servers

`read_url`

`read_urls`

`extract_url`

`crawl_url`

`read_pdf`

`poll_signal`

`watch_urls` / `check_watch`